The transfer of the four Serb convicts, who on Saturday by the decision of the Minister of Justice Dhurata Hoxha, from the prison in Mitrovica were transferred to the high security prison near by Podujevo/Podujevë, was made “under pressure from the international community,” says Nusret Hoxha for Politika, a Deputy Minister of Justice in the Kosovo government.
– Detainees were moved after pressure on the minister who gave the order for the transfer, since allegedly there is a possibility of their escape. All this was done without prior discussions with the director of the prison in Kosovska Mitrovica, who was informed just a few minutes earlier. I was in the cabinet of the Minister Hoxha, but she is on the road, so I could not find out in a direct conversation what are the real reasons behind this unilateral decision and the breach of the law – says Hoxha to Politika.
He visited the Mitrovica prison, where Serb prisoners from Sunday morning are on hunger strike demanding the return of the four Serbs to the prison in Mitrovica, and the guarantees that they themselves will not be transferred.
As for the seven prison officers from the Serbian community, who are also transferred to the prison in Podujevo/Podujevë ”there is no doubt, they will be there, because their jobs are in Podujevo,” said Deputy Minister of Justice Nusret Hoxha.
– When they applied for a job, they filed a request to the detention unit in Podujevo, which was then under construction. Given the fact that the prison was built, they are now at the job for which they applied – highlights Hoxha, who is a representative of the Serbian List, who has frozen the status, but due to “the new situation will be in the workplace.”
To the prison in Podujevo/Podujevë, were transferred Zoran Vukotić, who is on trial for war crimes against civilians and the process is on-going, then Slobodan Gavrić, sentenced to 13 years in prison for allegedly preparing terrorist attacks in Pristina, Jugoslav Jeremić, was sentenced to 23 years for aggravated murder, and Nemanja Vićentijević, sentenced to 14 years for murder and illegal possession and use of weapons.
And Oliver Ivanović, CI SDP leader, is among the striking inmates in Mitrovica, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for war crimes against civilians committed in southern Mitrovica, who is awaiting a decision of the Appellate Court on an appeal of his lawyers.
